Eastern Frontier

Ukraine repatriates 160 military personnel, Russia launches missile and drone attacks

Nexus Europa Newsroom
Posted Jun 26, 2026, 07:00 PM UTC · In the digest of 2026-06-26-1900
Ukraine repatriates 160 military personnel, Russia launches missile and drone attacks

Ukraine successfully repatriated 160 military personnel from Russian captivity, while Russian forces launched missile and drone attacks on Kyiv and Poltava regions overnight. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted most targets, but some strikes occurred.

Ukraine successfully repatriated 160 military personnel from Russian captivity in the 76th prisoner exchange, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed. All individuals had been held since 2022, with 115 identified as defenders of Mariupol. Their ages ranged from 26 to 66. While [Українська правда]'s headline stated the individuals were held for four years, its article body and other reports confirmed they were held since 2022. The Russian Ministry of Defense also acknowledged the exchange.

Separately, Russian forces launched seven Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 189 uncrewed aerial vehicles towards the Kyiv and Poltava regions overnight on June 26. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 177 targets, including three ballistic missiles and 174 drones, but four missiles and eleven drones struck various sites. Ukraine's General Staff updated its assessment of Russian military personnel losses to 1,398,370 since the full-scale invasion, with 1,310 reported in the preceding 24 hours.

Sources: Громадське, Радіо Свобода, Українська правда

How outlets assessed this

    • Українська правда Neutral Its headline incorrectly stated repatriated soldiers were held for four years, despite its body confirming since 2022.

Sources

Earlier coverage